Bad Match

Spoiler warning! This article contains plot details from the latest book.

A Bad Match is when two elves who were not on each other's match list get married. The matchmakers give a hundred options per packet ( five packets ), so not choosing one of them may make your child not as "genetically pure" as they could be if you were to marry someone who was a match in your matchmaking packet. You might also marry somebody related to you accidentally if it's a bad match (with the elves' indefinite lifespan this is a big possibility).

Matchmaking Process

The Elves take a questionnaire to determine which elves are suited together for marriage. The matchmakers work to make sure elves with different talents and physical features end up together. After all of the factors are taken into consideration the matchmakers release a list of 100 names. There are five different lists that can be released, going from Top Tier, Second Contenders, Third Considerations, Fourth Runners-Up, and to Final Alternatives.

Bad Match Qualifications

If an elf marries another elf without their name being on their lists it is considered a 'bad match'. A bad match is when certain elves are classified incompatible by the matchmakers. This happens because they are in the same gene pool, or just because one of the elves is Talentless (or a pyrokinetic who is forced to pretend they're talentless).

Known Bad Matches

• Kesler Dizznee and Juline Dizznee
• Brant and Jolie Ruewen (Engaged, but never officially married, as Jolie was killed by Brant.)
• Timkin Heks and Vika Heks (Unconfirmed, but it's rumored one of their relatives fixed their lists so that it looked like they were a good match though they were not)

Treatment of Bad Matches

Bad matches are one of the bigger held prejudices in the Elvin world. Being a bad match often causes emotional distress. Since usually one of the members of a bad match is Talentless, people tend to treat them as lesser, such as seen with the Dizznees. Bad matches without talentless are also treated as lesser, though. People like Timkin, Vika, and Stina Heks often mock Dex's parents. However, many other elves feel that bad matched pairs are lesser, which causes social inequality. With the case of Kesler and Juline, their 'friends' started to avoid them and Juline was afraid to have children in case being a bad match affected them. Some elves think that if a couple that is a bad match has kids, they will have disabilities or be Talentless (which is usually not true).

Trivia

• Sophie Foster, due to her upbringing, does not see a bad match as anything socially unacceptable. Instead, she feels upset on behalf of her bad-matched friends, such as Kesler and Juline, for all the scorn they receive. She is even considering not getting a list in the first place and just marrying whoever she wants to, even though if she does that no matter who she decides to marry, even if they were on her list that she didn't apply for, would be a bad match.
• Timkin and Vika Heks may or may not be a bad match. According to Marella, Timkin has a brother-in-law working in the Matchmaking Office who rigged the results. Since Timkin is Talentless, unlike Vika, this could be true. A Talentless will usually not be paired with an Empath.